Water levels in southern Alberta remain at critically low levels heading into spring, with no appreciable snowfall, according to the St. Mary River Irrigation District (SMRID).Despite minor gains through January, as of February 15, the combined irrigation storage of the Waterton, St. Mary and Milk River Ridge reservoirs stood at 47% of target levels and just 29% of overall design capacity — although some surplus capacity is maintained to accommodate spring runoff and ‘precipitation events.’In addition, the region has yet to see meaningful snowfall accumulations at the headwaters of all those rivers, although the majority doesn’t typically fall until February to April in a normal year.Farmers had been counting on significant snowfall to make up for a lack of rain last summer. But are now planning for an irrigation season without it..“As farmers we know that when it comes to the weather, we can only hope for the best and plan for the worst. We are grateful for recent snowfalls and are hopeful that the mountains in our watersheds will receive the significant snowfalls in late February, March and April that we need to bolster our snowpack,” said SMRID board member George Lohues.Although a lot could change in the next 12 weeks, the Alberta government is moving to hammer out water supply agreements with licence holders in the event of another dry spring.The SMRID is participating in a series of drought preparedness workshops organized through Alberta Environment and Protected Areas that started on February 9 to develop collaborative water sharing agreements for the Red Deer, Bow, Oldman and southern tributaries of the larger South Saskatchewan River basin..Licensees are working an operational model covering different water use scenarios based on various supply and demand criteria to develop voluntary agreements. The second of three meetings will be held on March 1.“(The) SMRID and all of the Irrigation Districts are committed to sharing water with Municipalities and Industry to ensure all water users have access to water during this drought period,” it said in an update.“We continue to strongly advise each member to commence planning their crops accordingly considering the possibility of not receiving a full allocation of water per acre for the 2024 irrigation season.”.“Our priority is to ensure the sustainability and reliability of our water supply system for all SMRID customers.”SMRID board member George Lohues.On February 9, the board of directors increased water rates to $28 per acre for the 2024 irrigation season.“We understand that any increase in expenses can impact your operations, and we want to assure you that this decision was not made lightly. Our priority is to ensure the sustainability and reliability of our water supply system for all SMRID customers.”According to the Alberta River Basins website, water shortage advisories have been issued for 51 water management areas across Alberta.
